Select committee makes BBC verdict

The CMSC has condemned what has been called a “hasty and secretive” license fee renewal negotiations last summer.

“Questions of the BBC’s scope, efficiency, and funding should be publicly assessed and debated, in parallel and in good time,” said the report, also saying that the corporation should have fought the government's demand that it take on the cost of free license fees for the over 75s.

It also dismissed proposals to shorten the current charter to five years, on the grounds that it would not provide either the financial or operational stability that the broadcaster needed to be successful.

An extension of the charter was supported, however, to allow time to properly scrutinize the 190,000 responses receive by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport during its consultation into the future of the BBC.

ITN and Pact want BBC online content transparency

ITN and Pact have led a demand for the BBC to be more open and transparent about the way it commissions online content.

As BBC3 switches to digital and iPlayer originals go from strength to strength, rival organisations have asked the BBC to review their online production quotas.

The corporation is currently under a non-statutory target to spend ¼ of its budget on online content and digital services with 3rd parties, with the aim of making 70% of its spend open to competition.

“As more content will be commissioned online, it seems compelling to create a specific commissioning strategy for online content,” said ITN while responding to the BBC Trust’s content supply review. “ITN calls for an entirely open commissioning target for online content—in line with that of broadcast content [under the plans for BBC Studios].” c commissioning strategy for online content,” said ITN while responding to the BBC Trust’s content supply review. “ITN calls for an entirely open commissioning target for online content—in line with that of broadcast content [under the plans for BBC Studios].”

“Under the current structure, competition for supply of digital content is limited due to the lack of a specific quota and [there is] a lack of visibility about how the BBC commissions online content, as opposed to technical services,”

“There is scope to increase competition for audience-facing content commissions, [improve] transparency, and deliver greater benefits to license fee payers.” Said the Trust.

Japan stands by 4K

Japan will have between 19 and 22 4K channels on the air by 2018, says Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs & Communications. Some broadcasters, such as JSAT’S SkyPerfecTV are already broadcasting UHD programming.

The 4K channels are being seen as a step forward the eve higher quality 8K ‘Super Hi Vision’ broadcasts, which are already being tested. There is a plan in place for a 2018 8K broadcast launch ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The Japanese public service broadcaster, NHK, will run one 4K and one 8K TV channels while the remaining 18-21 4K channels will be run by a mixture of free-to-air and pay commercial broadcasters.